


Worthy

by Mondai



Series: Royal Marriage [2]
Category: Senyuu. (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Comedy, F/M, Romance, Romantic Comedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-03
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-16 03:01:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29818440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mondai/pseuds/Mondai
Summary: Out of the blue, the King plans a wedding for his daughter - Hime. Everyone assumes the groom is Foyfoy. Now Hime and Foyfoy are busy preparing for their "wedding", it's just that their plans don't match.Set in the same time frame as Wedding Escape, but it's Foyfoy and Hime's side of the story. If you haven't read WE things would be a bit confusing, so I suggest reading that first.
Relationships: Foyfoy Dran/Hime-chan
Series: Royal Marriage [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1898317
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	Worthy

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Birthday to Hime!
> 
> I'm sorry it took me six months after posting Wedding Escape to complete its counterpart (I don't feel right calling it a sequel, since everything here happens simultaneously with the events in WE). After I finished writing the draft for WE, I had the idea for this one, but never set out to do it because my real-life work got in the way. Finally, Lunar New Year came around and I got some time on my hand to complete it. Since it was nearing Hime's birthday, I thought I'd wait till the day to post it.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who supported my previous work and patiently waited for this one. I'm sorry for my inefficiency. I hope this read is worth your time.

Marl is in the living room, reading the newly released issue of Old Men’s Magazine when Foyfoy enters the house through the main entrance.

“B-Brother…you’re home early today.” She stutters out, slapping the volume close, and tries to make her attempt at hiding it under the sofa cushion as inconspicuous as possible. Though her effort turns out to be unneeded, because when her brother turns around to greet her after closing the door, she sees him making _that_ face – the face he had on when she was first freed from her hopeless illness – and with his head seemingly high on the clouds he does not bat an eye to what his sister is trying to keep out of his sight.

As Foyfoy prances around with an uncharacteristic dopey smile on his face, Marl is visibly confused. She can tell that something good happened but has yet to imagine what kind of fortunate event took place that could turn her usually collected brother into this goofball – an image which Foyfoy would never admit to having carried even on his deathbed.

“You seem happy. Got something you wanna tell me?”

When Marl finally voiced her question, Foyfoy, who is pouring himself some juice, begins a little too happily.

“Big brother is getting married.”

For a second, Marl thinks either her vocabulary is mixed up or her hearing is impaired because she thought she heard the word “Married” came out. Unaware of his little sister’s doubt in her physical senses and their functions, Foyfoy continues.

“I, your brother dearest, have received the honor of taking the hands of the most longed-for lady in the kingdom. Much to my astonishment, my effort as both a fearless hero and dedicated royal attendant has in some way brought attention to the Royal family, and-“

“Stop!” Marl shoves a hand into her brother’s face. “First, cut it out with that posh accent, where did you even learn that?”

“What do you mean, I’ve been this way all along.” is Foyfoy’s defense.

Marl could not believe her brother is this out of it that he is using a manner of speech that she guesses he picked up in Shakespeare’s. “If you’ve been this way all along, it’s a bit disgusting.”

His sister’s frank remark did not make Foyfoy falter. After all, what can beat the awareness that you are so highly regarded by the King, he puts you first in line for marrying his daughter?

Although Foyfoy was skeptical about it at first since the news was delivered by one of the fussiest and untrustworthy people he knows, when he heard the King himself confirmed that there was indeed a wedding underway, all the while complimenting the groom (Must be him, right?) as “the most reliable, courageous, and brilliant young man”, the gears in his head just stop turning.

In a heightened mood, Foyfoy did not give it much thought and before he realized it, he was already out of the throne chamber, face all flustered, without further questioning the King’s decision.

Despite Foyfoy’s effort to keep his face straight, he could not contain his delight, which could be the reason why his colleagues were giving him weird looks. Foyfoy tried to continue his work but his concentration seemed to have gone out the window, so he ended up going home early. This brings it back to the present moment where he explains the full situation to his sister.

Said little sister, whose facial expressions has changed from disbelief to awkwardness, was at first unwilling to hear about the love life of a family member, but as it sinks in that this is a once in a lifetime ceremony for her big brother, has started to give it some serious thought.

After a moment of pondering, Marl sees a few issues. “Have you considered Hime nee-chan’s feelings?”

Foyfoy stops briefly, not getting the question. Hime said it herself that she likes him, so what is there to consider? At that, Marl gave her brother a look that says “Men are stupid.”

“Big bro, she likes you but that doesn’t mean she won’t change her mind.” Marl points out. She gives her brother a reality check, that although Hime confessed to him and he said he was open to the topic, they have never officially dated. “And you went and accepted an arranged marriage without having gone out with her once?”

“Well…it was hard to refuse when they were so insistent…” Foyfoy replies as reality sinks in.

Marl was not there to see for herself, but she has a feeling that it had less to do with courtesy and more to do with her brother’s immature persona which is easily swayed by compliments. Still, what’s done is done, and since this is a matter relating to the Royal family, simply going up to the King and say “The Dran family had a discussion, and our eldest son realized he doesn’t want to marry your daughter right now” could lead to some unwanted consequences. Marl just got her hard-earn life back for some time, she does not want to spend it in jail.

Which is why they can only opt for the next best option: For Foyfoy to ask Hime out on at least one date before the wedding day, and hopefully bond with her through that period of time.

♦♦♦

The next day, Foyfoy walks down the hall in deep thoughts. Yesterday he and his sister sat down trying to come up with a few plans, but even when they did get some ideas, everything is easier said than done. How is he going to go up to Hime and just say “Please go out with me”? Foyfoy’s knowledge on dating is sadly not proportional to his competence on the battlefield.

Knowing this, Marl has suggested a few classic approaches: Bouquets, candle-lit dinner, serenading, and love letters; but Foyfoy grimaces just thinking about them.

Those are not memorable. Not to him, at least. It would be so much more exciting if, say, some foreign country invaded the Kingdom and in the midst of chaos, Foyfoy proposed to Hime like a soldier preparing to leave for battle, fighting day and night to protect the land she inhabited.

The sound of someone’s footstep approaching snaps Foyfoy out of his movie-like fantasy, his gaze shifts to the direction of the sound and widens his eyes when he sees no one other than his betrothed.

That catches Foyfoy off guard and he can feel himself blushes. Foyfoy clears his throat to cover it and is about to say hello when a powerful blow lands on his face.

Foyfoy staggers a little. When he registered that he has just been punched, he has barely enough time to see the Princess wordlessly running away. This reminds Foyfoy of Hime’s upper body strength, which throws the scenario in which he proposes to her before leaving for war out the window, because if there was a war Hime would probably be on the field herself.

Disappointed as Foyfoy is about losing a chance to perform a dramatic proposal, he is more surprised at how Hime just punched him and took off. She used to do that, yes, but that was way back when they first met, and he understands it was because she could not express her feelings for him well. But presently speaking, they can talk to each other normally, so long as Alles is not with them.

Foyfoy ponders this for a moment, arriving at the conclusion he dreads most: Hime must be upset about him not asking her out.

Still holding the side of his face where Hime’s fist landed on, Foyfoy turns on his heel and goes after her.

♦♦♦

Hime has gone and done it. She has punched her fiancé in the face.

Having returned to her room after an unexpected encounter with Foyfoy, Hime rips a pillow into two pieces and buries her face in another.

The hysterical Princess so wants to facepalm at herself, she thought that she has made some progress in controlling her temper before Foyfoy since they can talk to each other casually these days, but it seems that is not the case.

Still, Hime gives herself credit for only throwing one punch this time. Hime recalls when she first realized her feelings for Foyfoy, and as he asked her if she had a fever upon seeing her face so red, she beat him into a bloody pulp. Back then, she thought she would have to use the Kingdom’s authority to hide the body. Luckily for both her and Foyfoy, his body which had been hardened through many battles survived the experience.

Yes, she has made progress.

That thought put Hime at ease a little, so she lifts her face off the pillow. At that moment, a maid asks for permission to enter the room.

“Your Highness, someone is here to see you.”

“Who is it?” Hime asks, half expecting it to be Alles.

“It’s Mr. Dran, your Highness.”

“What?!” Hime panics.

Why is Foyfoy here? Did he come because he’s worry about her? Did he find out about the wedding? Is he here to ask her about it? Does he want to proceed with it or does he want it stopped? What if he has realized he is not in the least interested in her and rejects her in the cruelest possible way?

Thoughts run through Hime’s head at a speed faster than her mind can handle, and the scenarios just worsen as they go. Whatever the reason may be, Hime’s heart is not prepared, so she does the most logical thing she can think of right now: Jump out the window.

Upon seeing the Princess vaults out the window on a third floor, the maid shrieks. That scream echoes out the hall and Foyfoy rushes inside but does not see Hime anywhere.

Foyfoy asks the maid who is still too shocked to answer, she can only point to the window, from which Foyfoy sees Hime running away yet again. Foyfoy sighs and hops through the window as well. The maid then faints.

Hearing the sound of someone landing in the same spot she did, Hime turns around to see Foyfoy on her tail and is calling out to her. The both of them dash through the castle garden, not knowing that they both share the same motivation: I don’t want to be rejected.

Hime has taken off at full speed but is still no match for Foyfoy’s trained swiftness. The chase lasted for a few minutes before he catches up to her, and she could feel a hand grabbing her shoulder. Being plucked backwards from her path makes Hime lose balance, she squeezes her eyes shut and embraces herself for a fall.

But the fall never came.

Hime can feel her back being pressed against something, or rather, someone. And that someone’s hand is still on her shoulder, while his other arm is wrapped around her waist, steadying her footing.

“Sorry. Are you okay?” Foyfoy asks.

In her current position, Hime can hear his voice clearly. Too clearly. The worry in his voice, its low frequency, its tenderness. She can even feel his heartbeat on her back. And from the corner of her eyes, she could see Foyfoy’s face in uncomfortably close proximity.

Foyfoy seems to have realized their awkward situation as well, his face heat up and he is about to retrieve his hands when Hime sends to his jaw an uppercut that throws him to the bushes nearby.

Before Foyfoy has time to recover, Hime summons Hime-dam and flees. Foyfoy props himself up only to see a huge metallic figure getting further and further from where he is. He reaches out a hand with a weak “Wait” but that does nothing to stop the giant bot.

Foyfoy remains seated in the bush for several minutes, his mind blanks as if someone shook him mentally and all the thoughts fell out. Foyfoy picks them up one by one, and turn them every which way, but they all spell out one word: Rejection.

That day, Foyfoy returns home with three big bruises. Two on his face, and one in his self-esteem.

♦♦♦

A little while after the commotion, Hime has calmed down somewhat, but still not in her best mood. Apparently, it shows through, because, at the dinner table, the King and Queen coax her into opening up about her problems.

“Father, isn’t this wedding a little rushed?” Hime asks. After that little bit of information she got from Alles and her father’s confirmation yesterday, no one has actively discussed anything further with her – the would-be bride herself.

“I would like to think of it as being efficient.” The King replied. His daughter is talking sense, but if the wedding is delayed and word gets out, the much too humble future groom (Alba) would find every way to refuse.

“Efficient? Don’t you mean you always decide things on a whim?” Hime disagrees. “Father, did you take my emotions into consideration?” By that, she means the King should be mindful that her emotions have caused many injuries to others, and any decision that might evoke such a scenario must be avoided.

The King, fully knowing what aspect his daughter is referring to, nods and contemplates the thought. He recalls the times he tried asking his daughter about her love life, the dining table that they replaced that day, the soldier whose jaw was dislocated for asking in place of the King…Hero Alba is, to the best of his knowledge, the primary, most active participant in the battle against the Demon Lord (not because he cannot remember everyone else who were also present). So Alba must be the strongest fighter. And that makes him stronger than both the wood of the dining table and that soldier.

Having arrived at that conclusion, the King believes it should be a breeze for Alba to survive this wedding. Or rather, his soon-to-be bride. Therefore, he picks up the conversation again.

“You do have a point, but you know, for such an excellent young man to still be without a partner…Many women must have taken a liking to him, seeing as he saved us all, so if we wait too long there might be a young lady other than you who catches his interest…”

Upon hearing those words, Hime’s fork stops halfway to her mouth, and different images start flashing through her mind: Foyfoy embracing another girl; Foyfoy getting down on one knee and proposing to another girl; Foyfoy standing at the altar with another girl; Foyfoy being so happy beside his mature, graceful wife that he forgets completely about that awkward, violent Princess who had a crush on him…

“You’re right, father! Let’s get this wedding going and marry us as soon as possible!” Hime declares without a hint of reluctance.

Thus, the Royal marriage is to proceed.

However, just because Hime has her mind settled does not mean her temper management would improve on its own. Although everyone has been familiar with her tendencies to give people holidays in the hospital, she would like her wedding to be blood-free. Considering the current her who still cannot face the man she is to marry, the possibility of him turning into a battered groom halfway through the ceremony is very real.

Hime has consulted her mother about the issue, but since her mother is far more laid-back than she is, coupled with the fact that the King has been the one to fell in love with his wife first, she had no practical advice for Hime. After a few hours of brain-storming by herself, Hime comes to the conclusion that there is no other way about this than to find inner peace.

In preparations for a crash course on mindfulness, Hime puts away all Foyfoy-related things that she has collected to this day into a warehouse far away from the tower in which she stays. Pictures she drew of him, his diary that Rudolf gave her, his blanket which she took a sniff at while he was away trying to save his sister…Every embarrassing thing. For now, she does not have the heart to get rid of them for good, but once they have exchanged vows she would burn down that warehouse to prevent any future embarrassment.

After the room has been cleared of any reminder of Foyfoy’s existence, Hime fills her room with the most updated books on self-awareness, such as “How to tame your inner beast” written and published by an intellectual from the Demon World who, during the Demon King revival, was accidentally teleported to Tibet, found enlightenment and became a monk. Lastly, she asks a couple of maids to stand guard at her door, only calling her at mealtime, and the food would be delivered straight to her room so she would not have to go out, minimizing any chance of accidentally running into Foyfoy.

Now that all is set, all that is left is to carry out the plan.

♦♦♦

It took Foyfoy a whole evening to get over his dejected mood. Marl was worn out from all the over-the-top compliments she had to come up with to build his ego back up, and used what was left of her energy to cheer him on when he went to the castle this morning.

As they have previously planned, Foyfoy would first try a few classic methods. His opinion of them being uncool remains unchanged, but they are all he has. Which leads to where he is now, standing in front of the flower vendor, picking out the most beautiful flowers he sees and have them wrapped into an extravagant bouquet. With a bouquet in his hand and a good suit that his sister picked out for him, Foyfoy feels more confident as he strides to the Princess chamber.

What he did not expect is to be stopped at the door by two maids, who explain to him that the Princess is on a journey to find inner peace and he is one of the people she absolutely must not meet at the moment. It crushes that little motivation Foyfoy has accumulated, he feels even the flowers he brings are starting to wilt along with him. Still, he has no choice but to leave the bouquet behind and ask the maids to give the Princess when they can before leaving the area.

The maids, being hand-picked by the Princess and not Alles, are very serious about their duty, and to protect Princess’ goal they trashed the bouquet after Foyfoy is out of sight.

♦♦♦

_The month of the Sun, the day of Ushimitsu,_

_Why has the woman whom I devoted my will to pursuing not yet replied? **Hard luck**_

_The world’s absurdity… **Abyss**_

_But this is my determination!_

Foyfoy finishes today’s diary entry before sighing. It has been a week and for some reason, he has not received a reply from Hime, but he is too embarrassed to go ask the maids. As confident as he sounds in the diary, Foyfoy is getting more restless as the days pass. Seriously pursuing a relationship turns out to be much more work than he thought.

Just as he leans back on his chair, a cheery voice that he knows all too well startles him from behind, and he slams the diary close before turning to the invader of privacy.

“I’m not in the mood, Alles.”

“That’s no way to talk to your future sister-in-law.” She moves her index finger from side to side as if scolding a child, and before she could blink Foyfoy already has his weapon at the ready.

As the two banter while dodging each other’s attacks, Alles notices how Foyfoy seems to have certain tiredness in his eyes, on top of this, his strikes are not as decisive as usual. She decides to ask while blocking his left hook.

“Okay, pause! What’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing that concerns you.” Foyfoy scoffs.

Alles rolls her eyes, although she messes with him on a regular basis, they are still friends and she can tell when her friend is in a bind. “Don’t pull that tough-guy act on me, it won’t work. Real tough guys know when to ask others for opinions.”

Foyfoy holds eye contact with Alles for a moment, still on guard. Although what Alles say does make sense, and she seems to have turn to her serious mode, situations relating to Hime are the last thing he wants to tell her. On the other hand, Foyfoy and his sister have not been making any progress this past week. Sooner or later he is going to have to admit that they need some insight from someone who knows the Princess well. After a minute of careful contemplation, Foyfoy lowers his weapon and tells Alles the truth.

“I need advice on dating.”

Foyfoy has never seen a person turns their face over so quickly. As expected, Alles’ serious expression loosens up and turns back into the obnoxious grin he always sees. Foyfoy resists the urge to wipe that grin off her face before sitting down and telling her the current situation between him and Hime.

After listening to the full story, while Alles is pretty sure that Hime is just shy as ever, getting to see Foyfoy being all sensitive and nervous is quite the entertainment, so she skips reassuring him and moves on to the next point: Getting them a date.

“What have you got in mind?”

“Well, I don’t know much so all I got are basics.” Foyfoy shrugs.

Listening to Foyfoy’s plan on giving Hime a bouquet then inviting her to dinner, Alles could see why it was so hard for him to execute those. Hime seems to have locked herself inside her own room, though Alles has wanted to drop by and ask about it, she has been (pretending to be) busy working on the wedding preparations, which is why today she opt for ruining Foyfoy’s mood, the second person she could reach out to. Though, she did not expect to get a request this intriguing.

Alles then tells Foyfoy to go on ahead and make reservation at a fancy restaurant, and she would take care of the rest. First, she would Hime to go eat out, not telling her that they are going to meet Foyfoy, and once they arrived at the restaurant she promises to make a strategic retreat and not stay behind to meddle.

Foyfoy thinks it over, still reluctant to put his faith in Alles. “Are you sure this will work?”

“No fear, dear brother-in-law, have faith in you reliable, generous, and kind sis-in-law, I will get the Princess out of her tower for you.” As Alles speaks she puts stress on the presumptuous pronouns, enjoying every bit of Foyfoy’s unwillingly tolerant face. “Who could ever reach Hime’s heart, if not _me_ , her closest, most precious friend?”

♦♦♦

The next day, the Princess’s closest, most precious friend fails.

Alles has half expected the maids to not let her in Hime’s room, but she did not think that even her authority as the Head maid could not get her through, as Hime has prepared in advance a list of people she wants away from her room, on the top of which are Foyfoy’s name and her own.

At the reminder that the Crown Princess’s authority is higher than hers, Alles carries herself away from the room in heavy footsteps. Foyfoy is already waiting at the restaurant, but after the high and mighty talk yesterday, Alles cannot bring herself to tell him that she failed. So she decides to do the most logical thing she can think of: Go for a drink at her favorite pub and Foyfoy can figure it out for himself that she failed after seeing no one came.

That evening, Foyfoy waits until the restaurant owner throws him out.

The day after, Foyfoy charges at Alles in the hallway.

“I knew I couldn’t trust you.” Is his accusation to Alles who is trying to avoid eye-contact with him.

“Okay…I admit that there were a few unexpected factors that came up…” Alles nervously defends herself while blocking a strike aimed at her right.

“You could have told me sooner! I wasted a whole night in that restaurant, sitting by myself at a table for two. Do you know how many people gave me pitying eyes?”

Because it really does sound pitiful, and Alles can practically hear Foyfoy’s pride breaks from his voice, she lets him rant a few minutes more before declaring that they should decide on the next move.

By now they have understood well that Hime is wary of the both of them, so they need extra help. Later that day, Alles wakes Teufel up from his afternoon nap and drags him to Foyfoy’s office.

“Here’s the plan, even though Hime might not be suspicious of Teufel, it would still be hard to get her out. So we’ll have to find an approach that’s more indirect.” Alles reasons, and look at the list of suggestions drafted by Foyfoy’s sister since the first day (because although Alles does not want to admit it, she also has no experience in dating). On the list, bouquets and dinner have been crossed out, so the next option is serenading.

Every bit of Foyfoy is against the idea, he cannot imagine himself standing under Hime’s window with a guitar and singing to her. He has never sung, he does not even know how to play the guitar, but on top of it all, it is lame.

“All guys in love are lame.” Is all Alles has to say before telling Foyfoy to go dress himself up well while she prepares records of love songs so he can lip-sync to. As for Teufel, his job is to convince Hime to look out the window.

When night falls, after all the preparations have been done and Foyfoy is in his position, Teufel goes up to the Princess chamber and asks to speak to her directly. Although Hime does open the door, she is naturally quite surprised to see him here.

“Your Highness, it’s nothing important but, the stars are shining beautifully tonight, so won’t you look out the window?” Teufel begins, trying to act natural.

“What?” Hime looks at him quizzically.

Teufel, the Head butler who never does his work; who did not bother to check her room for a whole month despite being assigned the job of keeping an eye on her; who did not even try to look for her when she snuck out; who hoped she would go missing for good so he did not have to return to the castle to work and still get his monthly salary. _That_ Teufel came to her room just to ask her to stargaze?

As the gears in Hime’s head turns, it occurs to her what the maids told her yesterday, about how Alles had dropped by and asked her to eat out. This coupled with the fact that Teufel is Alles’ drinking buddy…

After putting two and two together, Hime states “I don’t trust you.” and closes the door to Teufel’s face.

Teufel walks away from the Princess chamber carrying the weight of breaking the bad news to the other two, who are both terrifying. The more he thinks about it the more nervous he becomes, so he chooses to return to his room for a nap to fuel his confidence before going to them.

That evening, Foyfoy and Alles wait in the garden under the window of Hime’s room until well past midnight.

The following day, both Foyfoy and Alles charge at Teufel, who frantically explains while running for his life that he forgot to set an alarm after napping and woke up later than expected so he could not tell them in time.

After a few rounds of chase around the castle, Foyfoy’s and Alles’ bitterness faded away. The trio sit down to rethink their strategy once more. Now that none of them can go near the Princess chamber, every method seems impossible.

Just when they are at their wit’s end, someone approaches them.

“What are you guys doing?”

The trio turn to see Rudolf walking up to them, and all think at the same time: The next ally we can trust has come.

After telling Rudolf the gist, Foyfoy asks for his assistance, a request which the former readily accepts.

The idea this time is to try an approach even more indirect than before: Sending Hime a letter. This way, they do not have to persuade her to come out, and the maids will not put away the letter as they did with the bouquet since a letter is a more delicate matter that has to do with privacy and confidential information.

The decision is then settled. Foyfoy returns home referencing every book on how to write a love letter and pours his heart into drafting up one, which has gone through countless editing and revising by his sister, telling him time and time again not to use difficult, multi-syllable words that only he thinks are cool.

After both Dran siblings have been drained from the effort, a perfect love letter is finally completed and Foyfoy hands it over to Rudolf.

For good measure, Foyfoy and the others waits one week before having Rudolf delivered the letter to Hime so as not to raise suspicion again. After all, they did fail on two consecutive days.

The day finally comes when Rudolf stands before the Princess chamber. Hime takes the letter that he presents to her, eyeing the sender’s name that says “Your secret admirer” in amateurish cursive.

“My secret admirer? Who…?” Hime blinks, not believing her eyes.

“I’m not too sure myself, your Highness, I was given this by our postman this morning. But my hunch tells me that the person is a genuine youth.” Rudolf convinces her.

Hime then thanked Rudolf before going back inside her room and examines the envelope for a while longer. This is the first time she has ever received a love letter, so it would be lying to say she is not excited.

Hime is on the verge of opening the envelope when she remembers that she is engaged, and she has been making such a good progress at meditation recently that she expects to be able to keep her cool at the wedding. With those thoughts in mind, Hime removes her hand from the sealing wax.

“I’m sorry, but I won’t be able to reply to your letter. My heart is already set.” Says Hime to the envelope she is holding up, and she searches the drawer for a lighter to set the letter on fire.

Meanwhile, Foyfoy and the others are still patiently waiting for Hime’s reply.

♦♦♦

Another week has passed, and Foyfoy is more tired now than ever. These recent days his diary is filled with so many entries about waiting, he can even publish a book on the art of waiting.

Despite all the waiting he has done to this point, they have heard nothing from Hime. At some time during this week, Hime even replaced the maids with soundproof walls and door. Since no one can negotiate with walls, they have reached a dead end.

Four weeks of dating planning while also keeping up with his work at the castle has taken its toll on his body, dark bags has formed under his eyes, and although he has not had to fight at all, his body feels spent. When he reached home today he did not want to think about anything anymore and just headed straight to his room and fell to his bed without even changing out of his work clothes.

Foyfoy is lying face down on his bed, hoping to get a power nap since he does not have to work the afternoon shift, when Marl bursts through his door, shakes him awake, and half-drags him out of bed, saying: “You have to get up right now! The Princess is out of her room!”

“What?” Half-asleep Foyfoy staggers for a second before his mind can fully register the meaning of what his sister just said.

When reality hits him, Foyfoy bolts to his wardrobe to pick out something else to change into as the suit he is wearing is all wrinkly now. Apparently, Marl received the news just now through Rudolf, who ran straight to the Dran residence after catching a glimpse of Hime going down the main hall, and is now waiting at the door so the both of them can head back to the castle.

Just before Foyfoy sets his foot out of the doorstep, Marl has a hunch that her brother is going to miss the opportunity again, but for the sake of his mental health she pushes the feeling to the back of her mind and wishes him good luck.

Foyfoy and Rudolf take off at max speed. When they arrived at the castle, Alles and Teufel are already waiting for them in the main hall. Foyfoy is then told that Alba, for some reason, is visiting the castle and Hime came down to greet him just now, the duo is taking a walk in the garden as they speak.

Although the situation makes no sense to anyone, a chance is a chance. Alles shoves into Foyfoy’s hands a bouquet she asked the maids to prepare in advance, then gives them each a device that transmits sounds through distance, developed and manufactured using the kingdom’s most advanced technology, and instructs them to put it in one of their ears.

“Is it okay to use such a high quality device?” Foyfoy asks, eyeing the piece of tech cautiously.

“I’ve always used the kingdom’s fund for my personal interests.” Alles declares with eloquence. Before anyone can comment on how terrible she is, she starts assigning positions to each person.

Since the Royal garden is too spacious for Foyfoy to locate Hime and Alba by himself, Alles would be standing by the entrance in case the two decide to walk back, Teufel would climb one of the two towers that overlook the garden, Rudolf would climb the other, and finally, Foyfoy would wait by the garden exit.

“This positioning…isn’t it so you won’t have to walk or climb stairs?” Teufel comments.

“Who has time to mull over minor details right now? Commence operation!” Alles shouts and pushes everyone out of the main hall.

After the four are in place, Alles tells them to check the audio transmission device to see if the sounds are clear, when suddenly Rudolf gasps into the mic.

“A-Alba is here…Do you know what this means?” is Rudolf’s alarmed voice.

“What’s wrong?”

“It means…it means Ruki-tan teleported him here!” Rudolf cries. “Ruki-tan was here just now! But because I was so caught up with helping Foyfoy, I didn’t get to meet-“

Before Rudolf finishes his sentence everyone turns off his channel. Foyfoy and Alles then leave it to Teufel who is climbing the other tower to alert them which direction Hime is taking.

Half an hour into the operation and Foyfoy is starting to feel fatigue taking over him once more. He used up the rest of his energy to dash to the castle, now that the adrenaline died down he finds it hard just to keep his eyes open. Despite constantly telling himself to stay awake, his mind begins to shut down.

Meanwhile, Teufel who has reached the top of the tower is surprised to see that it has already been occupied by the King and the Prime Minister. Upon seeing the Head Butler’s appearance, the other two look to him questioningly, and Teufel, being himself, is so nervous under their gaze that he cannot answer Alles’ who is constantly asking for the positions of Hime.

On Alles’ end, she figures something must have gone wrong on Teufel's side and calls for Foyfoy’s attention, but for some reason, even he does not reply.

Alles seems to have completely forgotten about Rudolf after turning off his channel, so his warning that Hime and Alba are exiting the garden never reaches her. Rudolf looks to where Foyfoy is, and nearly tear off what is left of his hair when he sees the latter fast asleep on a wooden bench in the right turn from the exit, quite hidden from view if not seen from above like where Rudolf is.

When Hime and Alba reach the exit, they take the left turn, never knowing there is a sleeping Foyfoy behind them.

♦♦♦

When the four regroup in the servant’s common room, Alles thought they would just go through the usual procedure of fussing over their mistakes and then move on. But in reality, she, Teufel, and Rudolf find themselves standing silently before a drained, inconsolable Foyfoy, whose eyes no longer have a light in them.

Rudolf, being the eldest, and also Foyfoy’s closest friend, decides to break the depressing silence. “It’s not the end yet, there are still things we can do.”

But all Rudolf receives for a reply is a small exhausted sigh.

After a moment, Foyfoy stands up, politely thanks the others for having helped him this far, and leaves for home. The bouquet he was going to give Hime is left behind.

At the tired young man’s receding figure, the other three exchange looks, but none of them know what to do for him.

♦♦♦

Although Foyfoy did tell the others he would go home, he cannot bring himself to face Marl and tell her that he has failed yet again, and so Foyfoy finds himself walking aimlessly through the castle structure, gaze downcast.

While he is strolling through one of the fancy hallways, a soldier calls him from their post.

“Is that you, Mister Foyfoy Dran?”

Foyfoy lifts his head to see the person, and recognizes the soldier whose wife gave birth to a baby a few months ago.

“Yes, long time no see.” Foyfoy straightens himself up to greet the man. “How are you and your family?”

“We’re doing well, thank you for your concern. Anyway, I heard from Mister Rudolf about your situation back then.”

“Oh, that,” Foyfoy averts his gaze, recalling how he blew up the treasury and scratches the back of his head. “I’m sorry for causing trouble for you and everyone.”

“No no, you did that to save me, right? I’ve always wanted to thank you but haven’t found the occasion.” The soldier gives him a genuine smile, and its sincerity lifts Foyfoy’s spirit a little. “If you don’t mind me asking, why do you look so down?”

Foyfoy absentmindedly touches his face, wondering what kind of pessimistic expression he is making right now that is so noticeable to others. He brushes it off and reassures the soldier that it was just fatigue collecting throughout these days because he was busy preparing for the establishing hero academy.

“Oh, so you have been busy, too?” The soldier continues the topic, “It’s good to be busy when you’re young, once you've had a family like me, there really is no time to do anything anymore.”

The soldier seems like he is in the mood for talking, so despite his own tiredness, Foyfoy does not cut him off. The former talks about how having kids is much more responsibility than he originally thought, and that life after marriage is not at all romantic as youngsters think.

“I wish I knew this when I was young, but marrying a woman is one thing, guaranteeing her a good life is quite another.” The soldier says, his gaze soft but mature. “When me and my wife were only dating, I made a big deal out of gifts and such, but now that we’ve been two years into our marriage, my wife doesn’t even remember what flowers I gave her or what fine restaurant we ate at. I feel like laughing at my younger self.”

Foyfoy is taken aback by that. “What does she remember then?”

“What kind of man I was when she decided to marry me.” The soldier replies. “Of course a woman would want a romantic man, but in the end, isn’t being romantic just a different expression of sincerity?”

The soldier then continues to say, that when his wife accepted his proposal, she told him it was not because he had given her pretty flowers or garish gifts, or that he bought her dinner at luxurious restaurants, but it was because she saw in him a sense of security, a man of responsibility whom she knew would be capable of carrying through the hardships of life after marriage.

“So, in the end, when you court a woman, it all comes down to becoming a worthy man.” The soldier concludes.

Foyfoy’s eyes widen at these words, and he feels like a weight has been lifted.

“Thank you, Mister. What you said just now saved me.”

♦♦♦

Hime sighs when she returns to her room. She has made it known that she wants peace till the wedding but for some reason, everyone around her is bothering her even more than usual.

Just now, her father told the maids (who even though are directly under her orders, are still subjected to the highest authority which is of the King) to lead Hime out of her room, into the main hall to take a walk with Alba for no good reason.

Alba, who had had to cut some time off of his magic studies to travel from the Demon World to the Human realm because her father suddenly called for him, did not seem to have a better grasp of the situation. Hime hopes this would be the last time she is bothered, there is only so much time left until the wedding for her to keep herself together.

However, it seems things are not meant to go right for Hime because the next evening she gets another surprised visit.

These days Hime only opens her door six times a day, three times to get food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner; and three more times for the maids to fetch the used dishes. Hime was opening the doors to put out dishes when she sees her maid stands on the other side of the door panicking.

“Princess! Thank goodness you’re alright!” The maid exclaims.

Hime is, needless to say, confused. She is in her room all day, what could possibly happen to her?

The maid then fills her in that there has been a kidnapper on the loose. He was running around the castle, carrying a sackcloth bag containing a human body. The guards were pursuing him but lost his track.

“We were so worried that he might have gotten his hands on you, your Highness!” The maid continues to fret. “We wanted to check your room but you didn’t open the door at all.”

Now Hime is seeing the downside of soundproof walls. There was such a big commotion going on in the castle, yet she did not hear a thing. Hime reassures the maid that she is fine and would lock her door carefully before going back inside.

As Hime closes the door, she plans on doing some reading or calligraphy before bed when a child’s voice makes Hime jump out of her skin.

“Hime, long time no see!”

Hime whips her head around, one hand on her heart trying to keep it from jumping out of its cage, to see Ruki’s head sticking out from a teleportation gate.

Ruki apologizes for scaring Hime before stating the purpose of her visit. “Can you come down the main hall for a bit? There’s something I need to tell you and everyone else.”

Though reluctant, Hime accepts the request. She figures there is no use in arguing when the other party has the magic to invade any space at any time. While following Ruki down the hall, Hime makes a mental note to add a magic-proof shield to her room one day.

As Hime enters the hall, her train of thought is cut short when she sees Alles, Teufel, and Rudolf all gather there.

♦♦♦

“The groom is…not Foyfoy?” is all Hime can say after hearing Ruki explained the King’s actual plan.

The others all remain silent. They have witnessed so much disappointment in the span of only two days that all they can do is accept the truth.

Hime on the other hand, is so torn between feeling letdown at the real situation and dismay at her own father that she is not sure what facial expression she is making. Respecting Hime’s moment of shock, Alles lays a hand on her shoulder.

“I’ll tell Foyfoy for you if you want,” Alles suggests the only help she can provide.

Hime appreciates the comforting words of her best friend, it helps her calm down enough to think about what to do about Foyfoy.

The King is undoubtedly the direct cause of all this. Nevertheless, Hime has been the one to shut everyone out, staying cooped up inside her room for over a month, avoiding any direct discussion with Foyfoy even though a wedding (had it been between the two of them like they were led to believe) would have had as much effect on him as it does on her. So, although Hime still trying to wrap her head around everything that has been happening, she accepts that this is partly her responsibility.

“No,” Hime decides. “I’ll tell him myself.”

♦♦♦

Foyfoy is preparing documents for tomorrow’s work when Marl calls him out to the front door for a guest. He is curious about what kind of guest he might have when he sees his sister’s wary expression.

As Foyfoy walks out into the front yard, he does not expect to see a green creature with pointy ears and googly eyes waiting outside.

“Who are you?!” Foyfoy’s voice gets unintentionally high-pitched out of surprise.

“Oh, I forgot to take this off.” The creature says in a feminine voice that Foyfoy recognizes, his jaw drops even further when he sees it removes its head. Foyfoy's expression soon turns to dumbfounded when long locks of blonde hair start pouring out from the green head, and Hime’s face comes into view.

“This is a teleportation suit, Ruki teleported me here.” She explains.

“Oh, okay.” Foyfoy clears his throat to get his voice back to normal.

Neither of them can look straight at the other, Hime has her eyes glued to the ground while Foyfoy just shifts his gaze to anywhere except for the young princess’ direction. After what seems like forever, while Hime still seems to fumble for words, Foyfoy decides to be the gentleman and takes on the responsibility of ending this awkward silence.

“…I’ve been wanting to see you this past month.” He begins.

“What?” Hime lifts her head, not expecting to hear that. When her eyes lock with Foyfoy’s, she wishes she had not given in to her reflex. Under the gaze of the person she likes, Hime’s effort at organizing her thoughts and choosing the right words came to nothing.

Whether Foyfoy notices Hime’s predicament or not, he continues his story anyway.

“I...uh…I heard about the wedding your father is planning, and figured I should spend some more time with you before then…but you never came out of your room.” Foyfoy scratches the back of his head, hoping he does not sound too pathetic.

That catches Hime off guard, she did not know this at all. Foyfoy, the person she has had a crush on for nearly two years were trying to ask her out? For a whole month? And she missed it? Hime resists the urge to slap herself in the face, she then makes it a mission to get rid of all the sound-proofing constructions she has installed in her room.

But before Hime can decide on which extreme she wants her mind to be at, high on happiness or low from disappointment, Foyfoy’s next statement pulls her back to reality.

“On that note…I want to stop the wedding.” He announces.

This evening has taken Hime from one shock to another.

Initially, Hime came to the Dran residence to inform Foyfoy that he is actually not the groom the King had in mind. But it has somehow turned into Foyfoy calling the wedding off first.

If Hime could still think, she would have found the situation a bit funny. But right now, hearing Foyfoy says he wanted the wedding canceled, her head just…blanks out.

Hime supposes she has had it coming from the start. This wedding has never been held in Foyfoy’s consent in the first place. And looking at how Foyfoy has lost some weight and has dark bags visible under his eyes, he must have gone through a stressful time because of her and her father.

She does not wish for him to marry another woman, but seeing him suffer pains her even more.

“O-oh…I get it.” Suppressing the stinging sensation inside her heart, the young princess swallows a lump in her throat, and braces herself for rejection.

“I feel like I haven’t been respecting your opinion on the matter,” Foyfoy says.

That does not sound like a rejection, Hime thinks. It sounds more like something she is supposed to say to him. Before Hime can question her cognition further, Foyfoy continues.

“This whole month I’ve been trying to give you gifts and all that, but none of that worked out.” Foyfoy chuckles at himself. His foolishness. His own clumsy display of feelings. ”I’ve never asked anyone out, so I didn’t know what I did wrong. We haven’t really spent any time together, though we have talked more, and I have been watching you like I promised I would…”

Foyfoy pauses for a moment to pull himself together, he is starting to feel like his wording has become confusing. Foyfoy wants to get at least one idea across: Though they have not entered a relationship, he does care for Hime, as more than a friend.

“It’s the first time a woman has ever said she liked me, other than my mom and Marl. Even going so far as to track me down and heal my precious sister for me. I don’t think I can ever repay that…So I wanted to do something for you, anything, because I don’t feel like I deserve to stand by your side at the altar.” Foyfoy inhales deeply to keep his emotions in check.

“...I claim that I did it all for you, but I never even asked you what you wanted. I understand, it’s myself that I should change. I’m still too immature, and not capable of taking care of a family just yet. You deserve someone better…”

Hime remains silent. Foyfoy is being so honest with her, so vulnerable. This is a special moment between the two of them that she wants to engrave in her mind and hang onto at hard times, even if the two of them are not meant to be.

“So I will become that better someone.” Foyfoy finishes. “And by then, if you would still have me, I want to properly think about our future.”

Normally, Hime’s heart would explode hearing these words, but for some reason, in this moment, right here, she feels a serenity deep inside her heart, much more tranquil than any of the days she spent locking herself inside.

There is so much she wants to say, so many feelings she wants to convey back to him, but all that comes out are a few short, but sure, words.

“I will wait.”

♦♦♦

Alles worryingly followed Hime immediately after Ruki returns to the castle. Because Ruki only brought along one magic-proof suit, Alles had to walk to the Dran residence. Although Foyfoy moved to live near the castle, it still took some time to get there on foot and Alles still missed a part of the duo's conversation. She arrived just in time to see Hime and Foyfoy exchange their promises. Alles’ mind zoned out for a couple of seconds before she quietly retreats from her hiding spot, giving Hime and Foyfoy their privacy. She dashes back to the castle, makes her way to Teufel’s room then kicks his door open.

Teufel, who was napping before Alles came, has not yet fully opened his eyes and gathered his bearings when he feels a heavy punch lands on the side of his face. What follows is Alles’ exclaim.

“YOUTH!”

Having said that, Alles leaves the room, all the while grumbling about where her youth had gone.

Teufel lays still on the floor he was knocked down to, thinking whether his job at the castle is worth the pay.

**Author's Note:**

> And that's a wrap for the Royal Marriage series!
> 
> I had planned for this to be shorted than Wedding Escape since I set up the scenarios in the latter already, so when its length got to eight thousand words, I feel like I miscalculated something lol. Now that I've written everything I wanted to write, it's like a weight off my shoulders, it feels really nice.
> 
> Thank you again for bearing with me.


End file.
